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GCC Information Ministers meet in Riyadh
20th meeting of GCC Information Ministers held in Riyadh

Dr. Khoja chairs 20th meeting of GCC Information Ministers

October 10, 2012

Minister of Culture and Information Dr. Abdulaziz bin Mohieddin Khoja chaired the 20th meeting of the Ministers of Information of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states in Riyadh yesterday. Participants included Omani Minister of Information Dr. Abdulmoneim Al-Hassani; Kuwaiti Minister of Information Sheikh Mohammed Al-Abdullah Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah; President of the Bahraini Information Affairs Authority Sheikh Fawaz bin Mohammed Al-Khalifa; Executive Vice President of the Qatari Information Foundation Mubarak Al-Kuwari; Assistant Secretary-General for Cultural Affairs and Information at the GCC General Secretariat Khalid Al-Ghassani; Saudi Deputy Minister of Culture and Information Dr. Abdullah Al-Jasser; and Director General of the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) Abdullah Al-Hussein.

During his address to the gathering, Dr. Khoja stressed the importance of the media and called for accuracy in the coverage of events. He reviewed the various issues on the meeting’s agenda, including proposals for boosting media cooperation between the GCC states.

In a statement released at the end of the session, the ministers expressed appreciation to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Salman for the continuous support according by the Saudi government to GCC endeavors. In particular, they cited the Kingdom’s donation of land and SR 15 million [$4 million] in funding for the construction of a permanent headquarters for Gulf Radio and Television. The foundation stone for the project was laid in Riyadh’s diplomatic quarter yesterday by Dr. Khoja, in the presence of the GCC ministers.

The statement issued a number of recommendations, including increasing the production of television and radio programs on national and GCC events; activating the role of foreign-language media; launching a unified YouTube channel by the GCC national news agencies; and creating special e-media departments in each country to coordinate with one another.